Hold-down for bows of collapsible tops



y 8, 1952 G. R. URQUHART 2,602,692

HOLD-DOWN FOR BOWS OF COLLAPSIBLE TOPS Filed Nov. 12, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

g/enn P Urquhari Afforneus y 3, 1952 e. R. URQUHART 2,602,692

HOLD-DOWN FOR BOWS 0F COLLAPSIBLE TOPS Filed Nov. 12, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR. rm P. Urquhart g/e BY im- JW @fi fi Altorneqs.

y 9 1952 e. R. URQUHART 2,602,692

HOLD-DOWN FOR BOWS OF COLLAPSIBLE TOPS Filed Nov. 12, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR.

g/enn P. Mrquhori Patented July 8, 1952 HOLD-DOWN FOR 7 Glenna;

' Del-aware BOWS F coLLArsiBLE T TOPS I Urquhart, S'outhfield Township, Oak

land County. Micli., assignor to General Motors Corporation-Detroit, Mich., a corporation of I I Y' Application November 12, 1949, Serial No. 126,887

12 "Claims. (01. 296-117) This invention relates" to 'hold-downs for the bows of a collapsible top, particularlythe collapsible top in a convertible automobile, It is desirable, when the top'of "a convertible is lowered, to have the bows tied together so that they will not rattle or abrade one another. This has usu ally been done by means of straps or a boot. It is the object of the present invention to provide an automatic hold-down which will .hold the bows firmly down when the top is collapsed. Referring to the drawings: Fig. l is a perspective of the inside of a convertible' showing part of the 'bow structure, a hydraulic motor for operating the same, and

the new hold-down device. The top is in raised position. I l V Fig. 2 showsthe same parts with the top collapsed and the hold down engaged with the'bow structure to hold itdown.

' Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 .ofQFig. ,2

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view showing the hold-down engaging with a bow.

5' is an enlarged elevation of theflholddown mechanism showing in dotted lines how the hold-down moves into the operating position leis fthe .main bow of the collapsible top 2. 3 is the control linkwhich is pivoted at This is pivoted to the rearpffthe rear cant rail section.5.. The main bow -l is connected by linkage with the front cant rail section 1. This linkage,

of which. the link 6. is a member, maybe of varied type. It connects the'main-bow with the auxiliary center bow- 8' and with the front cant rail section? which is shown in Fig. 2. Referring to Fig. 2, the auxiliary center bowB can be seen in collapsed position. This bow is at l0 pivoted to link 6 which .is fastened to the main bow at H as shown in Fig.1. This control link 5 is at its front. end,; at l2, fastened to a pair of toggle arms 13 and 14, which connects, one ([3) with the front cant railsection land the other (H) to the rear cantrailsection 5. All the details are not shown in Fig. 2 and are. unnecessary for the comprehension of the invention herein involved. I5 is a link that connects the front cant rail section 1 with the auxiliary center bow at It. The auxiliary center bow 8' has on its knee a'pad I! which is important for the reason that it forms a grasping point or section for-the bow hold-down whichis the subject matter of this invention.

" The hold-down in its inactive position 'is shown in Fig. 1. It comprises a hold-down or grapple link l8 which is pivoted on the end of hell crank lever l9 by means of pin 20. This link 18 is L-shaped and ribbed to strengthen it. The lower of. Fi 5.

, 2 end has a cam slot Zl through which the stud 22 engages to guide the link and cause it to take a downward and rearward movement as shown dottedline and the one full line view by the two 7 This pin 22 is adjustable in slot 52 .to alter the fore and aft movementof the grapple 29 and 36. 'the toggle arms.

link 18. The strip 55 bolted to anchor plate 36 has an offset 54 which guides the ribbed grapple link.

The top is automatically raised and lowered by means of a hydraulic or other fluid motor 23 which has the fluid going'in or out each end by the tubes 24 and 25. This motor is pivoted at 26 to an anchor piece on the floor pan of the-car. The piston (not shown) has a piston rod 21 that connects 'at 28"with the toggle arms This connection is at the knee of One toggle arm 30" is pivoted at 3| to the stanchion 32. The other toggle arm 29 is pivoted at 33 to the main bow I. When the fluid under pressure comes into the motor cylinder 23 through-tube 25mm piston rises and pushes the piston rod 21 outwardly through the top of the motor cylinder to the position shown in Fig. 1. When the piston moves down due to the entry of the-fiuid under pressure through tube 24, the piston rod 21 retreatsinto'the motor cylinder as shown in Fig.2. There is a projecting pin'34 at the knee of the activating toggle arms which engages turned over flange 35 ofthe bell crank lever [9. This pin is eccentric to the bolt on which it is located (Fig. 5) so that its position may be adjusted to alter the timing of the pin striking the s helf, This lever I9 is doubled back on itself (see-Fig.'3)' and straddles the anchor plate 36 to which it is pivoted'by the bolt 31. Hencewhen'this turned over flang e or shelf 35 is struck by pin 34 as-seen in Fig. 5; the 'pin travels from the dotted line positionfs'hown in this fi gure to the full line position and thereby causes the bell crank lever 19 to swing" on pivot "bolt {31 fromjthe'dot ted line position to marlin line position. .This carries the grapple link 18 from the dotted line position to the full line position and the hook 358 grasps the pad 11 of the auxiliary bow 8 and pulls down onthe bow structure. The nub won-t e endof the bell crank lever l9 pushes-'backthe'block 4| on the spring latch arm Mjwhich is fastened to the stanchion 43. The hub 48' snaps behind block'M' tohold the hold-down parts in their operating position 'notwithstandingpressure may be released on the motor piston.

When the pressure in the motor cylinder is re versed and the piston is caused to travel upwardly, the force of the hydraulic power is sufficient to cause the nub of the bell crank lever l9 to snap by the tapered block 4|. The bow structure, being under power actuation, will cause the pad I! to pull the book 33 upwardly bringing the L-shaped grapple link tothe uppermost position in which position the cam slot 2| has an offset 44 on the lower end which allows the pin 22 to travel in this offset and therebythe hooked end of the grapple link will tip forward to completely clear the pad I1.

The rear cant rail section 60, when in its lowermost position, rests against the rubber bump- WhatIclaimis: 1. A device for holding down the bows of a collapsible top structure such. as the top of a convertible automobile, having in combination an anchor plate which can be secured to the body of an automobile, a grapple link, means on said anchor member for guiding thegrapple linkin an up and down movement-and a tipping action toward and away from the bow structure, the top end of thegrapple link provided with a hook arranged, when the bows are collapsed, to engage a part on the collapsible bow structure to bear down on the same and hold the bow structure in the collapsed position, a motor having actuating connections with the bows to elevate the same and lower the same, a lever having a part to re-, ceive a strike and pivoted to the anchor plate to swing up and down, said lever having its swinging end coupled to the grapple link, an actuating member on the connections between the motor and'the bows tovstrike the strike-receiving part onthe lever to move the lever downward when the motor actuated connections" pull the bows down, said downward-swinging movement of the .lever pulling the grapple link downward and tipping the-hook to engage the bow structure to hold the same down, and the upward movement of the lever and grapple link-beingcaused by the bows, when they are raised, pulling the hook on the grapple link .up with the bows but the guiding means guidingzand'tipping the link to release the hook from the bow structure.

'2. The combination claimed in claim 1 in which the connections between the motor and the bowv structure and the actuating member include a piston rod, at the end of which is an actuating pin adapted to strike the strike-receiving part on the lever to pull the-lever and the grapple link down when the piston rod-moves back into the motor cylinder,

3. The combination claimed in claim 2 inwhich the activating pin is eccentric on a bolt so that it maybeadiustedto alter-the time it strikes the part on the lever.

4.-The combination claimed in claim 1 in it which the grapple link has at its lower end a *cam slot engaging with a pin on the anchor plate for guiding the, grapple link in its movement toward and down upon the bow structure and inits upward movement up from and away from the bow structure.

-5. The combination claimed inv claim 4 in which the pin can be adjustedin a slot in the ,anchor-plate'to alter the action of the grapple link.

,6. The combination claimed in ,claim 1 in which the grapple link isan L-shaped member connected by a pivot pin with theactuating lever 4 having at its lower end a cam slot with an ofiset portion engaging with a pin secured on the anchor plate to guide the link in its movement.

7. The combination claimed in claim 1 in which the actuating lever is an elbow like member havinga doubled-over portion straddling the anchorplate to which it is pivoted.

8. The combination claimed in claim 1 in which --the actuating lever is an elbow like member having its pivoted end doubled back upon itself to straddlethe anchor plate to which it is pivoted, and the doubled back portion flanged to provide the strike receiving part for the pin on the end of the-pistonrod' for actuating the lever.

9.,The ;combination claimed in claim 1 in which a latch member automatically latches the hold-down in the operating position when the hold down has been operated to engage and hold down the bows.

10. The combination claimed in claim 9 in which the latching member is a spring arm with aftapered block on the end which arm is adapted ,to. befle'xed and bentback by the end of the Number lever when thelever is moved to its hold down position, thereby causing the end of the lever to pass to the other side of the block andthe spring arm'with the block to snap behind the end of the .lever to latch the mechanism in its hold down position.

11. The combination claimed in claim 10 in which the end of ,the lever has a nub arranged ,to engage the tapered block on the spring arm tuating part connected with the bows for thrustingup the bows and pulling them down when the motor is actuated, motion transmitting connections between theractuating part of the motor and the bows and thegrappling iron for pulling down the grappling ironto grip the bow structureand hold it down when the actuating part of the motor completes its stroke in pulling down the hows, the grappling iron having an up and down and tilting motion as a result of the combined action of the actuating part of the motor,

the transmission connections, and the pin and.

slot guide so that the'grappling ironis brought into engagement withthe bows at the bottom of the stroke of the actuating part of the motor and released fromthe bows at the beginning of the upward stroke of said part.'

' GLENN R. ,URQUHART.

REFERENCES CITED The following references ,areof recordin the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date 1,068,808 Nelson July 29,1913 1,200,239 Richert Oct.'3, 1916 1,230,109 Byron June 19, 1917 1,323,537 McMullin Dec. 2, 1919 2,169,340 Falcon Aug. 15, 1939 2,320,919 Falcon June 1, 1943 

